At the beginning of February, our tennis-ski travel scouts Aline and Christoph a weekend at the Kreuzwirt tennis hotel in Naturns, South Tyrol. Besides staying at the hotel, they also participated in training sessions at the European Tennis Academy . For Christoph, a sports psychologist, the self-coaching concept of Mental Match Play interesting. You can read all about their experiences in the tennis hall, as well as skiing in the Schnalstal valley and in and around the Kreuzwirt tennis hotel , in the detailed travel report that Christoph sent us.
I first became aware of TennisTravellerthrough their Instagram account and numerous online news articles at the international DTB Tennis Congress in Berlin at the beginning of January. The competitions with partner hotels inspired me to surprise my wife with the TennisTraveller tennis and ski trip, and we entered the draw. When we received the news a few days after Berlin that we had been selected, TennisTraveller were thrilled to finally enjoy a free weekend together in the Alps. After securing Grandma and Grandpa as babysitters, our anticipation grew daily until the trip.
The journey from Germany took us over the Fern Pass on the German-Austrian border, continuing through Tyrol past Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis and over the Reschen Pass, which forms the border region between Austria and South Tyrol. The drive was challenging due to the snowstorm and darkness. Luckily for us, the trucks only jackknifed on the parallel Brenner Pass, leaving over 200 people trapped in their cars who had to be rescued by the fire department. We, on the other hand, only lost time, but still managed to arrive at the Kreuzwirt Hotel in Naturns in time for dinner at 8 pm. After a warm welcome and briefing from the owner, Hannes, we quickly checked in. Following a delicious Hugo cocktail as a welcome drink, a tasty four-course meal with a fresh salad bar and choices for the main courses revived us after the exciting drive, as the next morning the tennis and ski scouts were to begin their day in the neighboring Schnalstal glacier ski area.
On our way to breakfast, we took in the many playful details of the charming Hotel Kreuzwirt. For example, the lampshades in the hallways are made from cups, soup ladles, and cake plates. There's a children's play area and a cozy reading nook with a fireplace. Breakfast is served in a bright, modern dining room with views of the southern slopes of the Alps and the center of Naturns. The offerings are what you'd expect from a three-star hotel, but the highlight is the self-cooking egg station, where guests can set their own timer.
The hotel has its own parking lot and features accessible entrances and elevators. It underwent extensive and modern renovations in 2014. The rooms have balconies, walk-in showers, and separate toilets. The mattresses are very comfortable and guarantee a restful sleep. As a frequent traveler, this is always the most important factor for me in a hotel, so it's a definite plus.
In the Schnals Valley, on the border between Austria and Italy, rises the Hochjochferner glacier. This glacier covers an area of 185 hectares. From September to May, winter sports enthusiasts flock to its eternal ice. The ski area on the glacier is equally suitable for beginners, advanced skiers, and families. The eight-kilometer-long "Smuggler's Run" down to the valley is a particular favorite with all types of skiers.
At the mountain station of the glacier cable car, at an altitude of 3,212 meters, lies the Glacier Hotel Grawand, the highest mountain hotel in Europe. From there, visitors can enjoy views of the three-thousand-meter peaks of Weißkugel, Wildspitze, and Similaun on clear days. The glacier mummy Ötzi rested for 5,300 years between Similaun and Finailspitze.
The 30-minute drive from the valley to about 2,000 meters above sea level after a snowstorm, without snow chains, was the first adrenaline rush of the morning, manageable with front-wheel drive, though. As promised, our free ski pass, courtesy of the Kreuzwirt Hotel, was waiting for us at the top. Our first gondola ride took us directly to the Glacier, but unfortunately, the cloudy weather severely limited visibility, and there was a lot of ungroomed snow. As a result, the valley run was closed, and only two lifts were open. Since we were practically the only guests on the slopes, we stopped at the Ötzi Biwak after two runs to warm up.
Prices in Italy are very reasonable, and the facilities are incomparable to those of modern Austrian ski resorts. The service on-site is very friendly and attentive. While the panoramic view from the window at 3013 meters wasn't visible from every window due to the two meters of fresh snow, the snow-covered mountains around the Ötzi bivouac had a truly rustic charm. At midday, we decided to take the gondola down and ski on the other side of the mountain. It was significantly busier there, and the visibility was much better. We met some friendly Berliners on the gondola rides who told us how fantastic the ski area is in sunshine and that we absolutely had to come back to experience après-ski at Teufelsegg. We then enjoyed the rest of the day skiing on two open red runs until we headed back down to the valley around 3 pm, as our tennis training session with Joe Hauser, the CEO of the European Tennis Academy, was scheduled from 5 pm to 7 pm. He had traveled all the way from his home in Bregenz.
After a short afternoon break at the Hotel Kreuzwirt, recovering from a ski tour that had been quite strenuous on our thighs due to the heavy snowfall, we drove two minutes to the tennis center in Naturns. Besides the snow-covered outdoor courts, there are four indoor courts with a green-blue carpet surface and minimal infill. The only drawbacks of the indoor tennis center are the dim lighting and the somewhat short run-off area behind the baseline. The center itself is well-heated, the showers and changing rooms are clean, and the restaurant was very busy, showing Bundesliga football.
Joe Hauser greeted us in his charming Austrian manner, and we immediately felt welcome under his care. It was very helpful that he asked about our individual needs right away. This quickly made it clear that I wanted to try the Mental Match Play program, and that we wanted to focus on my wife's beginner tennis, allowing Joe to include me as a sparring partner in the two doubles sessions. Although Günter Bresnik, Dominic Thiem's coach, wasn't our topic of conversation, it was immediately apparent that the Mental Match Play program and Joe Hauser's coaching shared similar content with the training methods for follow-through and relaxed grip that Bresnik had recently presented at the German Tennis Federation (DTB) Congress. These methods involved taking the racket into the other hand after the follow-through and holding it there briefly. The Mental Match Play was then gradually incorporated into our warm-up. In summary, the Mental Match Play concept focuses heavily on feeling, senses, concentration, and single-point focus, allowing the complex technical and ball-distance challenges of tennis to fade into the background. The fact that this concept, developed over three years, works directly for beginners became immediately apparent when my wife's focus was directed to listening to the sound of the ball bouncing on the carpet and leaving the racket. Suddenly, we were playing much longer rallies, and my wife automatically positioned herself better and was able to coordinate her speed more effectively. Consequently, we had our "aha" moment in the very first of four sessions, realizing that this ETA training concept is something special and immediately effective. Here, relaxation and ease are paramount, preventing tension from excessive error correction.
Mental Match Play includes task cards or focus cards placed behind the player, allowing them to mentally regroup and refocus after hitting balls. The ultimate challenge of the Mental Match Play concept is playing with Bluetooth sports headphones and receiving direct instructions from the app. All instructions are developed using sports psychology principles and directly engage the senses of hearing, touch, and sight. The instructions are accompanied by specially composed music. The music subtly underscores calmer instructions designed for relaxation and more rhythmically driven instructions, making it suitable for all skill levels. From my perspective as a sports psychologist, this is one of the best tennis products I've ever encountered. I can only congratulate Joe Hauser and his team for persevering through this long development period to make tennis accessible and enjoyable for so many people.
The long day of skiing and tennis made us very hungry, and we were looking forward to the delicious 4-course meal at the small arts hotel, which rounded off our first Travelscout day in a culinary way.
On Sunday morning, the second double lesson was on the agenda, and the previous day's sports activities were still taking their toll. Joe accommodated our request for a good warm-up, and we were able to get back into a good tennis mindset using the headphones and the MMP app instructions. Furthermore, Joe Hauser was able to give me crucial expert tips on my ball toss and, consequently, my serve, which helped me regain more stability in my opening moves. Many thanks for that! I was allowed to place the ball on a small Italian espresso cup and had to find a calm, stable toss point—roughly in the middle of the backswing—so that I could unleash a powerful, well-thrown shot. What can I say? My serve is working much better now.
My wife was also impressed by Joe's calm and competent manner, and we couldn't thank him enough for our Mental Match Play training.
As a reward, we treated ourselves to a relaxing afternoon at the Naturns natural and adventure pool, which is only a 5-minute walk from the hotel. On Sunday, the sauna with its infusions was particularly busy, while the other saunas were less crowded. This relaxation did us a world of good; we were able to enjoy the atmosphere with a good book.
Since the Kreuzwirt's kitchen was closed on Sundays, we took an evening trip to Merano, a 20-minute drive away. We visited the Forst Brewery and rounded off the day with delicious South Tyrolean specialties and freshly tapped beers from Europe's largest independent brewery. For a post-meal stroll, we were charmed by Merano's old town with its narrow streets and numerous shops under the typical arches.
Evening stroll through Merano's old town
On the return journey, bathed in brilliant sunshine, we were able to take in all the beauty of South Tyrol's winter landscape in daylight. We had a wonderful time enjoying Vinschgau cheese and speck, which even the hazy ski day couldn't spoil, as the excellent tennis training provided by ETA left nothing to be desired. And on the way back, after a delicious breakfast at the charming Hotel Kreuzwirt, we couldn't resist tackling the vast amounts of fresh snow in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladies before heading home to the children in the evening.
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